German car tax calculator (Kfz-Steuer)
Enter the first registration, drive, engine size and CO₂ from the registration document and see the annual tax, step by step.
- Free, no sign-up
- Your numbers stay in your browser
- Same rules as the Zenarios app
- Reviewed
Your Kfz-Steuer is €103 a year.
Registered from 2021: engine size plus CO₂ above 95 g/km in six bands from €2 to €4 per gram.
- Tax a year now
- €103
- A month
- €8.58
- Engine-size part
- €30.00
- CO₂ part
- €73.00
- Engine size€30.00
- CO₂€73.00
What if… tax a year
See the figures
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Engine size: 15 × €2.00 per 100 cm³ | €30.00 |
| CO₂ 95–115 g/km: 20 g × €2.00 | €40.00 |
| CO₂ 115–135 g/km: 15 g × €2.20 | €33.00 |
| Annual tax (rounded down) | €103 |
Next step
How the Kfz-Steuer is calculated
Germany taxes cars by the date they were first registered (field B of the registration certificate). For cars registered since July 2009 the tax has two parts:
Kfz-Steuer = engine-size part + CO₂ part, rounded down to whole euros
- Engine size (field P.1): €2.00 per started 100 cm³ for petrol and €9.50 for diesel. 1,498 cm³ counts as 15 units.
- CO₂ (field V.7). For first registrations from 2021 only the CO₂ above 95 g/km is taxed, in six bands:
| CO₂ (g/km) | per gram |
|---|---|
| over 95 to 115 | €2.00 |
| over 115 to 135 | €2.20 |
| over 135 to 155 | €2.50 |
| over 155 to 175 | €2.90 |
| over 175 to 195 | €3.40 |
| over 195 | €4.00 |
Older cars pay a flat €2 per gram above a threshold: 120 g/km for registrations from July 2009 to 2011, 110 g/km in 2012 and 2013 and 95 g/km from 2014 to 2020. Cars registered before July 2009 pay by engine size and emission class only.
Electric cars pay nothing for ten years if first registered between 18 May 2011 and 31 December 2030, but no longer than 31 December 2035. After that they pay by gross weight (field F.2): €11.25 per started 200 kg up to 2,000 kg, €12.02 up to 3,000 kg and €12.78 up to 3,500 kg, and of that only half.
The total comes from the same rules Unterm Strich uses, our separate car-cost app; the steps shown under the result explain how it adds up.
Examples from the Zoll
Zoll publishes four worked examples for cars registered from 2021. The calculator gives the same results:
| Example | Engine | CO₂ | Engine-size part | CO₂ part | Tax a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A, petrol | 1,498 cm³ | 167 g/km | €30.00 | €168.80 | €198 |
| B, petrol | 2,995 cm³ | 229 g/km | €60.00 | €396.00 | €456 |
| C, diesel | 1,968 cm³ | 161 g/km | €190.00 | €151.40 | €341 |
| D, diesel | 2,967 cm³ | 204 g/km | €285.00 | €296.00 | €581 |
Two things stand out. The CO₂ bands get steep: example B pays more for its last 34 grams than for its whole engine. And a diesel’s engine size alone often costs more than a petrol car’s whole tax.
A petrol car from 2015 with 1,598 cm³ and 139 g/km still uses the old linear rule: €32 for the engine plus €88 for CO₂ above 95 g/km, €120 a year.
Electric cars: exempt, then cheap
An electric car registered in March 2026 with a gross weight of 2,100 kg pays no Kfz-Steuer until December 2035. From 2036 the weight-based tax applies: ten units of 200 kg at €11.25 and one at €12.02, halved, comes to €62 a year. An EV registered in 2016 has already used up its ten years and pays that amount now.
The exemption has been extended before. The calculator follows the law as it stands; if the rules change again, the dates will too.
What it can’t see
It does not know about reductions for severely disabled people, Oldtimer (H) or seasonal plates, or refunds when a car is deregistered mid-year. For cars first registered between 5 November 2008 and 30 June 2009 the cheaper of the old and the new tax applies; the calculator shows the old one and says so. The binding amount is in the Hauptzollamt’s notice.
Kfz-Steuer is also one of the smallest car costs. The car cost comparison adds depreciation, fuel, insurance and servicing, and shows what the difference between two options is worth at 67. And for the decision behind it – which car, or none, and how it fits with a home, children and retirement – Zenarios puts it all in one plan.
Common questions
How is the Kfz-Steuer calculated for a car registered from 2021?
Two parts are added and rounded down to whole euros: €2 (petrol) or €9.50 (diesel) per started 100 cm³, plus the CO₂ above 95 g/km in six bands from €2 to €4 per gram. A petrol car with 1,498 cm³ and 167 g/km pays €30 + €168.80 = €198 a year (Zoll example A).
Do electric cars pay Kfz-Steuer?
Not for now. Electric cars first registered from 18 May 2011 to 31 December 2030 are exempt for ten years from registration, but no later than 31 December 2035 (§ 3d KraftStG). After that they pay half of a weight-based tax: about €62 a year for a car with a gross weight of 2,100 kg.
Why does diesel cost more?
The engine-size part is €9.50 per started 100 cm³ for diesel against €2 for petrol; the CO₂ bands are the same. A 1,968 cm³ diesel pays €190 for its engine size alone, before any CO₂ part (Zoll example C).
Is a hybrid taxed like an electric car?
No. Full and mild hybrids are taxed like petrol cars by engine size and CO₂. Plug-in hybrids too, using the weighted combined CO₂ value from the registration document, which is usually low.
Is the result binding?
No. The tax is set by the Hauptzollamt in its notice. This calculator follows the rates in § 9 KraftStG and was checked against Zoll's and ADAC's published examples, but special cases such as disability reductions are not included.